| A sheltie is expected to live for 10 to 15 years as | | | | - Mental dullness |
| long as proper care is provided. However, much is | | | | - Behavior changes such as aggression, head tilt, |
| your desire to keep your sheltie fit, inevitable | | | | seizures and anxiety |
| circumstances may appear along the way and | | | | - Skin problems such as sry skin, bacterial |
| eventually affect your pet's health and life | | | | infections of the skin and hyperpigmentation |
| negatively. Shelties from reputable breeders are | | | | where hair loss has occured |
| less likely to develop health issues however, some | | | | - Dry hair coat, hairloss (alopecia) especially on the |
| lines may be susceptible to diseases, one of which | | | | trunk, tail and around the neck |
| is hypothyroidism. | | | | - Chronic ear infections |
| Hypothyroidism, as the name implies, is a disorder | | | | - Cold intolerance |
| associated with thyroid gland. This thyroid gland | | | | There are various methods used to diagnose |
| secretes thyroid hormone that is known to | | | | hypothyroidism. However it is important that all |
| regulate a dog's metabollic rate. Hypothyroidism | | | | diagnosis must begin with examination by looking |
| occurs when the thyroid gland is unable to | | | | for clinical signs of hypothyroidism as well as |
| produce enough thyroid hormone due to the | | | | taking history of the dog. If hypothyroidism is |
| attacks made by dog's immune system to the | | | | suspected, it must be confirmed through tests |
| tissues of the thyroid gland. This therefore | | | | such as: |
| decreases the dog's metabollic rate. While thyroid | | | | - Baseline T4 Test or Total T4 (TT4) |
| disorders are often considered as genetic | | | | - Baseline TSH Test |
| diseases, environmental factors such as pollutants | | | | - Free T4 by Radio Immunoassay (RIA) |
| and allergies may also trigger the disorder. | | | | - Free T4 by Equilibrium Dialysis (ED) |
| To determine if your sheltie is affected by | | | | - Baseline T3 Test |
| hypothyroidism, here are some symptoms to | | | | - TSH Response Test |
| watch out: | | | | Treatment of hypothyroidism consists of |
| - Lethargy | | | | levothyroxine. Levothyroxine, a synthetic thyroid |
| - Weight gain | | | | hormone, can be given twice daily to replace the |
| - Decreased activity and unwillingness to play and | | | | dog's hormone. Dosage maybe dropped to once a |
| exercise | | | | day if positive results start to appear. |